SC&H Group Blog: Expertise Beyond the Numbers

Three bwtech@UMBC Incubator Residents are InvestMaryland Challenge Semifinalists

March 4, 2015

Twenty-seven Baltimore-area startups have recently been named semifinalists for the state’s InvestMaryland Challenge. Three high profile start-ups that reside in the business incubators at UMBC (bwtech@UMBC) are among the group honored as semifinalists. They are:

• Epitaxial Technologies – Defense and Security Category
• RedShred – IT Hardware/Software Category
• Plant Sensory Systems – Life Sciences Category

“It is no surprise that resident companies of bwtech@UMBC are semifinalists for the InvestMaryland award” stated Matthew Roberson, Principal of SC&H Capital, SC&H Group’s Investment Banking and Valuation Advisory practice. “The bwtech@UMBC community is a leading center of innovation for businesses in all different stages of development for Maryland. Congratulations to these companies and best of luck in the final judging.”

The InvestMaryland Challenge is a national seed and early-stage business competition hosted by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) and Inc. Magazine.   DBED announced the semifinalists earlier this week. The semifinalists will present their business plans to the contest’s panel of judges this month, vying for the top prize of $100,000 in four different categories.

Since 2012, SC&H Group has been a supporter of the incubation programs at the bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park. The firm holds office hours at bwtech@UMBC to assist companies located on site with tax accounting and reporting best practices, business planning and profitability, and strategic growth needs. If you are a regional startup considering the pros/cons of residing in an incubator environment, feel free to contact us here and we will share our thoughts on the matter.

Sure, Daylight Saving Time is great in the fall when we gain an extra hour. But if you were like us here at USDemocrazy, there was nothing fun about losing an hour last weekend. Here is your guide to the ever-so-controversial Daylight Saving Time. 

The History

Daylight Saving Time has only been officially used in the past 100 years, but ancient civilizations appeared to have a similar system. Many civilizations would change their daily lives to match the patterns of the sun. 

Though many men (Benjamin Franklin, George Vernon Hudson, William Willett) produced their own variations of daylight savings, the official use of Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the United States was in 1918. President Wilson signed the law into effect during World War I.  The purpose was to conserve energy during wartime. 

A man named Robert Garland, a Pittsburgh worker who had seen the success of DST in Europe, is said to be the “father of Daylight Saving”. So in fall? Thank him. In spring? Blame him. 

The United States’ reaction to DST was not good though. Seven months after the law was signed, it was repealed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt then brought back the law in 1942. We’ve been enjoying (or hating) DST ever since.

The Controversy 

Like most people, we only enjoy DST 50% of the time. But as technology has changed our schedules even more, many people argue DST is pointless. 

In 2006, a study in Indiana compared two counties where one had DST and one did not. The conclusion? “DST results in a 1-percent overall increase in residential electricity demand, and the effect is highly statistically significant”.

In a 2007 study, two Australian regions were compared. One used DST, one did not. The conclusion? In DST regions, energy was reduced in the evenings but it was conversely increased during the mornings. 

Chmura Economics and Analytics also estimates that the United States loses $434 million because of DST. 

The Conclusion

I guess that is up to you to decide! What are your views on Daylight Saving Time? Is it worth the gain and later the loss of an hour?